Search - Presto Ballet :: The Lost Art of Time Travel

My Choice for CD of 2008

Robert M Briggs III | Lake City, PA | 11/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD featured a serious shakeup from the lineup on their debut, "Peace Among the Ruins". Only leader/founder Kurdt Vanderhoof and lead vocalist Scott Albright remain from the original lineup. Basically the same pieces are in place here, with the arrangements being more cohesive and less.... hard rock? The nods are all there: Styx, Kansas, Yes, Genesis, name your prog poison.

Unlike the first CD, tho, there is not a single "meh" number on this CD. My personal favorite track is "One Tragedy At a Time". And coming in at just over 14 minutes long, it's quite a jamfest, with a chorus that just won't quit. "I'm Not Blind" is quite a rant, while "The Mind Machine" and "You're Alive" are seriously proggish.

A whopping 4.5 stars."

Different, but pretty good.

Graeme P. Swallow | Lenexa, KS United States | 03/18/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was much looking forward to this disc after Presto Ballet's debut "Peace Among the Ruins". But if you have "Peace..." and you buy this disc, put all your expectations on the shelf. The very first thing that jumped out at me was the utter lack of bombast (for lack of a better word). This CD is definitely lighter-duty than "Peace...". As someone who prefers the heavier side of prog rock (i.e., Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery, etc...), my initial reaction was disappointment.



HOWEVER... I have listened to the disc straight through 5 or 6 times now, and I will say it is growing on me. After all, it is still Presto Ballet. There are certainly very intriguing chord progressions, rhythms, and so on. There is a lot to appreciate about this disc once you accept it as it's own entity and throw away your expectations based on the previous disc."

Decent follow up to Peace Among the Ruins...

Mark Gatzke | Plant City, FL USA | 11/06/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like Presto Ballet's debut, Peace Among the Ruins, The Lost Art of Time Travel is a solid piece of work that embraces the finer elements of classic hard rock and progressive rock. Where it differs from the first CD, however, is in the presence of occasionally superfluous prog. While Peace Among the Ruins holds indulgence neatly in check and keeps a healthy balance between prog and straight ahead rock, Time Travel opens things up for more elaborate production and a mildly trying reliance on intense or moody repetition rather than creative substance. The two longest songs, 'The Mind Machine' and 'One Tragedy at a Time', run a little long for my taste. It doesn't necessarily make the ride less enjoyable, but I'm just the tiniest bit grateful when they finally end.

On the scale of things, it's a minor quibble. Presto Ballet are very, very good at what they do. There are few bands like them to be found these days except for their aging forerunners who are, for the most part, regurgitating what they did long ago. Even so, while their sensibilities lie firmly in the past, Presto Ballet sound very much like a modern, energetic band with plenty of ideas to spare and to come. I look forward to their next effort."